The Game
by Kuraun Kuraun
Summary: When Allen returns from a month-long mission, he finds that everyone in the Order is playing a game he is unfamiliar with. Slight Allen/Lenalee implied.


_**Author's Note:**_ Hiya! This little idea popped into my head while I was at a convention and was introduced to an interesting game a lot of the attendees were playing. Just a warning to non-Allen/Lenalee fans, but there is some hinting of that pairing through out this piece. It's not supposed to really be a part of what little plot this has, but peoples' opinions can differ. Other than that, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, for that _D. Gray-Man_ © to Katsura Hoshino. That includes all characters mentioned as well.

Allen yawned as he entered the cafeteria for dinner, the very few amount of people still in line welcoming him back from his month-long mission. He beamed with delight as he found his friends at a table booth, seeming to have just gotten their meals. However, he noticed that hardly any of them were speaking. Had they gotten into a fight? What if something happened? What if it were terrible?!

"Welcome back, Allen!" Jerry's voice pulled the hungry Exorcist from his thoughts, and, eager to get his food, he raced to the opening slot where the chef was standing.

"Let's see, I'd like five pieces of stake, ten bowls of chicken stir fry, two bowls of salad," He figured if he got salad, then it'd decrease the amount of comments about his eating habits from Lenalee. "Twenty mitarashi dango..." The list continued on.

"My, my..." The chef, still holding his frying pan like usual, said as he scratched his head at the long list. "You seem rather hungry. Are you having another grow spurt?"

"No," He rubbed his head sheepishly. "I lost my wallet a few days ago and not many people were gambling."

"At it again, moyashi?" Kanda said from behind him, Jerry hurrying off to prepare Allen's food as the seventeen year old turned, a dull look on his face.

"It's '_Allen_'."

"Yeah, Yuu. How long are you two going to fight?" Lavi appeared beside the black-haired swordsman, smiling brightly. "Great to see ya back, buddy!"

Before Allen could reply, Mugen was a centimeter from the bookman's neck. "It's '_Kanda_', Rabbit!"

"Well, my name's 'Lavi'!"

"Here you go, Allen--ah, Kanda! I take it you want the usual?"

Sheathing Mugen, Kanda pushed past Allen and Lavi as he nodded. "I'll take a decent amount, unlike Moyashi over there."

"Hey! My name's 'Allen'!"

When Kanda didn't respond, Allen gave up on getting a name other than what he already had and decided to go sit with everyone else. Lavi grinned widely as he patted the boy on the back. "We even saved a seat beside Lenalee for you! After all, considering it took you two years to get the nerve to tell her how you felt, you might as well make the most of it before Komui figures out how to murder you!"

The mention of Lenalee's brother was enough to almost - _almost_ make him drop his tray of food. When both noticed Timcanpy already nesting on the girl's head, despite his now large size, Lavi's grin only grew. "What's this? Is _Timcanpy_ more brave than the great Destroyer of Time, or _Crown Clown_, or--"

"Or _Allen_?" He interrupted. At the moment, he couldn't decide which was worse, being afraid to sit next to Lenalee because of the thought of being murdered, or the fact that a golem had more courage than him. Come to think of it, would Komui allow Timcanpy to sit atop his sister's head?

Mugen was suddenly at the back of the white-haired Exorcist's neck. "Just. Go. Sit." Lavi held back laughter, but was soon beginning to fail as Lenalee waved at Allen, causing him to stare off into space. "Stupid Moyashi! Quit playing games and just _sit_ with her already!"

"Games..." Lavi's face lit up. "Hey, I lost the game!"

Allen stared in confusion as everyone muttered the same line. Game? What game? His mental questions were clouded when he saw Lenalee approach him. When he caught Komui out of the corner of his eye, he froze. Oh no! What if she hugged him?! Komui would defiantly notice, for sure!

"Allen-kun! Welcome back!" At the moment, he was glad he had a tray with stacked bowls and plates of various foods that he had ordered, or else she would have hugged him. However, he wasn't safe because then she moved to take some of them into her own hands to carry. "Here, let me help you..."

"No!" He pulled away, suddenly glad that Kanda had sheathed Mugen long before he did so. Lavi stared in wonder about how the stacked bowls and plates managed to not tumble over as Kanda shook his head and moved to a separate table away from what he called to be 'madness'. Trying to calm down, which he failed to do immensely, he straightened his posture, stuttering out, "I-I mean, your legs..." Oh gosh. What was he thinking?

"My legs?" She cocked her head to the side. "Did... you hit your head or something?"

"Yeah, that happened two _years_ ago. In case you're wondering, you were fifteen, she was sixteen..." Lavi trailed off as Allen glared at him. "Oh, I get it. You two want some _alone time_." Allen glared harder (if it were possible) when he stressed that word as loud as possible. "Well, look on the bright side! It's been two years and you two are happy as the souls of the Akuma that have been set free!"

"Lavi, could you go let people know you lost the game?" Lenalee asked politely, as if sensing Allen's annoyance.

"Why? I didn't lose the..." The red-head suddenly yelled in frustration. "Hey! You made me lose the game!" Everyone muttered the same phrase once more. "I'm getting out here before you make me lose _again_!"

Once the bookman was out of sight, Lenalee wasted no time tugging at Allen's sleeve to pull him along. "Come on," she told him. "Your food's going to get cold."

Once they made it to the table, exchanged greetings, finished asking him various questions (most of them being the all-so-famous 'what have you been feeding him?') about Timcanpy's huge size (of course Lavi had to ask of how much he weighed, but got no answer. Who weighed golems anyway?), and allowed him to scarf down his entire meal, Allen decided it was _his_ turn to question them. "What is this 'game' you guys are playing?"

"Oh, darn..." Krory muttered, laying his head on the table in defeat. "I lost the game."

"You're not alone." Lenalee smiled. "I did too."

"Me too." Miranda added.

"I lost the game!" Lavi chirped happily, earning numerous glares from everyone.

"Stop it, Lavi!"

"Yeah, that's the nineteenth time today!"

Allen laughed nervously (only because Lenalee and Miranda were there, if not, then it wouldn't have been so nervously) as he apologized for setting them off again. "Really... what _are_ you guys playing?"

"Oh, that's right! You've been gone for a month!" Allen stared at Lavi dully. How could he have forgotten?

"If we tell you, then you can never quit." Krory told him, Lavi smirking the entire time. "You still want to play?"

At this, Allen raised an eye brow. _Had_ to play? Seeing that Lenalee was playing, and wasn't giving him any warning looks about complying with the deal, he assumed it was a fairly simple game. After all, if _Kanda_ was playing, then there had to be something interesting about it. Unless if he was tricked, which could mean that Lenalee was too, and she had to comply with any additional rules.

"Ah, decisions, decisions..." Lavi mocked, grinning happily as Allen ignored him.

"Fine." He finally told them. It seemed everyone in the whole Order was playing, anyway...

"Alright, here are the rules," Lavi flashed an evil grin in his direction. "You're stuck playing for the rest of eternity, and you have to be honest. And by '_honest_', I mean playing fairly and not acting as though you're some immature kid going on a crazed gambling spree."

"So you guys are _gambling_?"

"No, the whole point of the game is to _honestly_ declare you've lost when you think of the game."

"What game?"

"The game!"

"That's the game? Couldn't you have made it a little harder?"

Lavi's smirk returned. "Oh, just wait until you start playing."

"Don't even think about cheating your way through this, Moyashi, or I'll sell your hair to some old geezer."

Lenalee rolled her eyes. "Don't you two ever stop? What are you going to threaten him about _next_, Kanda?"

"Probably about proposing to you before you're Panda's age." If looks could kill, Lavi would have been Allen's first victim. "What? It took you two years just to tell her you had a crush on her! And you're _still_ trying to get the nerve to ask her out!" Lavi laughed nervously. "Heh... just pretend you didn't hear that, Lenalee..."

"Oh, no worry. I've been pretending I didn't know for a year." Lenalee smiled when Allen stared at her in disbelief.

"How'd you know that I..."

"Che, I'm out of here." Kanda was gone before anyone could even bid him 'goodbye'.

"Oh, Niisan told me." Everyone else stared. And he did nothing about it? "Said something about Allen being a better influence than Lavi or something..."

"Doesn't surprise me." Bookman was suddenly at the foot of the table. "So, this is what teenage Exorcists talk about nowadays, huh?"

"Panda?! When did you get here?!" Lavi's eyes were wide, probably not that big of a surprise to anyone that had known him for a while.

"Consider yourself lucky to have Krory and Miranda behind you." The elderly man replied, Lavi scratching the back of his head nervously.

"You know, technically we've all lost the game..."

Everyone in the cafeteria moaned in response.


End file.
